Up to 17 students are waiting for one place in the dormitory. This is the hardest part

A place in a dormitory is still one of the cheapest forms of accommodation during studies, but getting it is not easy at all. In Warsaw there are about 17 students per place, in Wrocław and Poznań – about 12. Data from GetHome.pl show, however, that after years of shrinking resources, the first signs of improvement are appearing.

For those who do not get a place in a student dormitory or do not want to use it, the option is to rent an apartment or a room. Here, the differences between cities are very large.

Warsaw is the most expensive, Toruń is the cheapest

In August, the highest median rents among the analyzed cities were recorded in Warsaw. You had to pay PLN 2.7 thousand for a one-room apartment. PLN, for a two-room apartment PLN 3.8 thousand. PLN, and for a three-room apartment – ​​PLN 5.4 thousand. zloty. In Krakow it was 2.4 thousand and 3 thousand respectively. and 4 thousand PLN, in Gdańsk 2.4 thousand, 3 thousand and 3.7 thousand PLN, and in Wrocław 2.3 thousand, 2.9 thousand and 3.3 thousand zloty.

Lower rates applied in Łódź, Katowice, Białystok and Bydgoszcz. The median rent for a two-room apartment there was PLN 2,000. zloty. In Lublin it was 2.2 thousand. PLN, and in Rzeszów 2.1 thousand. zloty. Toruń was the cheapest – PLN 1.3 thousand. PLN for a one-room apartment and PLN 1.8 thousand PLN for a two-room apartment.

– Students, of course, do not have to rent entire apartments. They often share them with other people or rent individual rooms. Despite this, rental costs are usually many times higher than the fee for a place in a university dormitory, says Marek Wielgo, an expert at GetHome.pl.

You can find a place in a dorm for a few hundred zlotys

In the 2026/27 academic year, the cheapest places in Warsaw cost approximately PLN 410 per month. In Kraków, Poznań and Gdańsk, rates start from approximately PLN 450, and in Wrocław from approximately PLN 720. However, this is the lower price limit. For a single room or a place in a higher standard facility you often have to pay over PLN 1,000. PLN, and in some cases PLN 1.5–2 thousand. zloty.

In Warsaw, prices at the University of Warsaw are approximately PLN 520-1,100, at the Warsaw University of Technology, PLN 410-1,300, and at the Warsaw School of Economics, PLN 795-1,200.

In Krakow, the most expensive places reach around PLN 1.8 thousand. zloty. In AGH UST dormitories, from October 2026, the rates will be PLN 550-650, and from January 2027 they will increase to PLN 580-690. At the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, a place in a three-person room will cost PLN 440, a double room will cost PLN 530-660, and a single room will cost PLN 720-880. In Białystok, the cheapest place costs about PLN 390, and in Bydgoszcz, about PLN 500.

In Warsaw, 17 students are waiting for one place

GetHome.pl checked the availability of places in dorms in 13 largest academic centers. The indicator shows the number of students per one place.

The highest is in Warsaw – about 17 students per place. In Wrocław and Poznań it is about 12. The lowest rate is in Szczecin, where there are less than five students per place.

– It should be noted that these are estimated values. The Central Statistical Office publishes data on the number of places in student dormitories at the voivodeship level, so in the case of individual cities it is assumed that most places are located in the largest academic centers of a given region – notes Marek Wielgo.

There were fewer places, although there were more students

According to the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the number of places in student dormitories decreased from 115.2 thousand. in 2023 to 112 thousand in 2024 and 110.3 thousand in 2025. In two years, nearly 5,000 people lost their lives. places. At the same time, the number of students increased: from 1.243 million in 2023 to 1.277 million in 2024. The Central Statistical Office has not yet published data for 2025.

The largest academic center remains Warsaw, where almost 257,000 students studied in the 2024/25 academic year. people. There were nearly 138,000 of them in Kraków, approximately 116,000 in Wrocław, and over 100,000 in Poznań. Approximately 77,000 students studied in Tricity. people, and in Łódź about 64 thousand.

– However, we must remember that not every student needs a place in a dormitory or a place to rent. Last year’s study by the AMRON Center shows that 41 percent respondents lived with family or friends and did not incur rental costs, and another 8 percent had its own property. 11% used accommodation in dormitories, both public and private. respondents, and 37 percent lived in a rented property – says the GetHome.pl expert.

Renovations improve the standard, but may reduce the number of places

The decrease in the number of places is partly related to the modernization of existing facilities. Instead of three- and four-person rooms, smaller ones are being built, intended for one or two people, often with their own bathroom.

– Students’ expectations regarding the standard of accommodation are higher today than they were a dozen or several dozen years ago. Modernization of old dormitories may mean that the number of places decreases, but their standard improves, notes Wielgo.

At the same time, expenditure on new and modernized facilities is increasing. In 2026, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego concluded 14 agreements regarding the construction or modernization of student dormitories. The investments cover nearly PLN 3.3 thousand. places and have a value of approximately PLN 578 million. Non-repayable state support amounts to PLN 463 million. The largest projects are implemented, among others: in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gliwice.

The market for private facilities is growing rapidly

According to Knight Frank, at the end of the first half of 2026, there were approximately 17.9 thousand in Poland. places in private dormitories – by 24%. more than a year earlier. By the beginning of the 2027/28 academic year, the resource is expected to increase by another approximately 3.9 thousand. places. Demand remains high. The average occupancy rate of private facilities was approximately 97%. at the end of the first half of 2026

The largest markets are Kraków with approximately 5.2 thousand. places and Warsaw with approximately 3.4 thousand In total, they account for over half of the entire national resource. Approximately 2,000 are planned to be delivered in the capital. new places, thanks to which the capital will overtake Krakow in terms of the number of places. Tricity is also expected to develop dynamically, where by the end of 2028 the population is expected to more than double, to over 2.6 thousand. places.

– Just a few years ago, private student residences were a niche segment of the real estate market in Poland. Today, they are becoming a full-fledged element of the student housing market – notes the GetHome.pl expert.

A higher standard means a higher rent

However, private facilities are much more expensive than university student dormitories. In Łódź, prices for a single room start from PLN 1.8 thousand. PLN, and for a place in a double room from PLN 1.2 thousand. zloty. The highest rates apply to Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków. In the capital, a single room cost from PLN 2.6 thousand. up to 4.8 thousand PLN, and a place in a double room from PLN 1.65 thousand. up to 3 thousand zloty.

The price usually includes utilities, internet, access to common areas and additional amenities such as security, laundry, gym or study areas. For foreign students, it may also be important to be able to arrange accommodation before arriving in Poland – via the Internet, with a distance contract and service in English.

– Private dormitories respond to a different need than traditional student dormitories. Their offer is addressed to people who are ready to pay more for a higher standard, privacy and additional amenities. Therefore, they are increasingly competing for students directly with the rental housing market, and not with the cheapest university dormitories, says Wielgo.

More places can ease the pressure on the rental market

According to the GetHome.pl expert, the development of the dormitory base may also have an impact on the housing market.

– Each additional place in a student dormitory is potentially one less student looking for a room or apartment for rent. This is especially important in the largest academic centers, where not only students, but also people starting work and other households compete for accommodation. For now, however, there are still so few places in the dorms compared to the number of students that most of them will still have to look for accommodation outside them – sums up Wielgo.